


The Grey Kind

by YikesKrispy



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Post-Canon, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YikesKrispy/pseuds/YikesKrispy
Summary: It had seemed like a very romantic notion a couple of months ago, a little magic, a little intimacy, and their kitten was growing in Adora’s belly. Now after weeks of seeing her wife nauseous, exhausted, and tender Catra was wishing she had taken the hit. Adora certainly hadn’t taken it as a cue to slow down as they talked about before, but she had wanted to do it, use her body for her future as Adora, not Shera. But a decade of healing learning new patterns hadn’t changed who Adora was so Catra was disappointed but not surprised when she woke up too early after a long night of holding Adora’s hair and rubbing her back while she threw up to find her wife out of bed already and doing push-ups.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 213





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Started this as some one shot fluff. Now it looks like I'm gonna add some scenes here and there.

It had seemed like a very romantic notion a couple of months ago, a little magic, a little intimacy, and their kitten was growing in Adora’s belly. Now after weeks of seeing her wife nauseous, exhausted, and tender Catra was wishing she had taken the hit. Adora certainly hadn’t taken it as a cue to slow down as they talked about before, but she had wanted to do it, use her body for her future as Adora, not Shera. But a decade of healing learning new patterns hadn’t changed who Adora was so Catra was disappointed but not surprised when she woke up too early after a long night of holding Adora’s hair and rubbing her back while she threw up to find her wife out of bed already and doing push-ups.   
“What the fuck Adora!?” Catra grumbled snapping up and brushing back her bushy mane.   
“Oh, sorry did I wake you? I know it was a late night.” Adora replied plaintively as if Catra had been the one doing the hard part.   
Catra took a moment to stare at her wife now sitting on the floor smiling that dumb smile that still radiated warmth even with her face pale, eyes puffy and bloodshot from the exertion and exhaustion of last night.   
“What are you doing?” Catra groaned. Adora characteristically missing that the question was rhetorical launched chipperly into a detailed description of a long and difficult day she had planned for herself.  
Wordlessly Catra got out of bed and reached her hand out to Adora who took it and allowed Catra to pull her up. Guiding her by her shoulders Catra walked Adora backward till she was sitting on the bed. Catra straddled her putting just enough weight on her wife’s thighs to keep her there. “You are not doing any of that, you are going back to bed and I’m going to get you some water and something you can keep down.” Adora leaned back supporting herself on her arms and gave Catra her usually cocky look, sapped of its usual aggravating power by her tired eyes. “What are you worried about me or something?” She replied downplaying the situation with the old joke.   
“Yes!” Catra yelled back before taking a breath to compose herself. Resting one hand on her wife’s hip and bringing another to gently cup her face she stared into Adora’s eyes. “You barely slept, I don’t even know when the last time you kept something down was. Forget all of that taking care of you is what’s important right now.” Adora leaned her head into her wife’s hand and gave her a look that somehow communicated all the love in her enormous heart and made it clear she wasn’t taking anything Catra said seriously. “Fine, I’m a little tired! But I’m not hungry, the universe is waiting for me. I can sleep later. You’re so cute when you’re worried.” Catra blushed despite herself and moved her hand from her wife’s face so she was gently but firmly gripping her wife’s waist. She tipped her head forward to meet her wife’s pausing before she spoke again. “Let everyone else deal with the universe for once. This…” She said, tightening her grip. “is our universe right now. Anyone else can do that stuff, only you can do this.”   
Adora sighed and lay back on the bed. Catra grinned in triumph lifting herself off her wife so she could lay down properly. Adora finally back in bed Catra reached down gingerly removing Adora’s hair tie and gently mussing up her poof. Adora giggled lightly and rolled her eyes as Catra self-satisfied used Adora’s hair tie to tie up her own mane as if this made it impossible for Adora to get back up. Catra lay down facing her wife and stroked her cheek gently. “You love me.” mocked Adora through a soft smile. “Yeah idiot, since before I knew what love was.” Catra closed the distance between them and kissed her wife gently.   
“Okay, I’m going to get you something to eat. What do you think you can keep down?”  
“I really don’t want anything. I’m still pretty nauseous.” Said Adora, finally admitting the smallest bit of weakness. “C’mon, the baby needs something. What about toast?” Adora grimaced and shook her head. She’d had plenty of toast recently and thrown up most of it. Catra felt a pang at Adora’s discomfort and wished again that she’d insisted on it being her, even if it meant risking a litter before they knew if they could even manage one baby. “There has to be something you want.” she implored. Adora took a second to think and shook her head.   
“What is it?” Insisted Catra. “It’s stupid I don’t even know where you would get it anymore…”   
Catra was up on her forearms ready to spring out of bed and do anything to help her wife feel better. “A ration bar the ones from the Horde.”   
Catra burst out laughing. At least once a week in the decade since Adora rescued her from Prime’s ship Adora had brought up how wonderful food outside the Horde was and how terrible ration bars were.   
“Really?!” Catra croaked through laughter. Adora blushed and hid her face in the pillow. Catra rubbed her shoulder as she regained her composure. “That’s actually doable! Scorpia still keeps those around.” “See!” retorted Adora, “Scorpia likes them!” Catra rolled her eyes “Scorpia likes everything she has thanked me for punching her in the face, more than once!”   
Adora turned her head to glare at Catra who instantly softened. “I’ll get Sparkles to pop over there and grab some.” Adora grabbed Catra’s wrist as she went to get up. “Not right now it's early.” Catra brought her palm to face in exasperation. “Adora, she wants to help you, besides they have a kid they’re probably already up.” Adora relented releasing her wife’s wrist so she could throw on her clothes.   
“Make sure she rests,” Catra called to Melog who immediately complied, stepping onto the bed and settling next to Adora. “I’ll be quick!” Catra said returning from the bathroom to give Adora a glass of water and kiss on the forehead before rushing out of the room.   
“The grey kind!” Called Adora as the door closed behind her wife. “Of course!” Called Catra from the hallway. “It is so much better than the brown kind!” 

Catra off on her mission Adora sat up and wrestled her bra off her tender breasts and slid out of her pants that had just started to get tight. She was so exhausted she went against all her instincts and dropped her clothes on the floor, smiling at how satisfied Catra will be when she comes back and sees Adora didn’t even get up to put them away. Adora was exhausted, wearier than she’d been in the darkest days of the rebellion. Her chest was sore. Nausea had been knocking her down for weeks. The vomiting made her throat raw and her head pound. It was amazing that a berry sized kitten could do a greater number on her than the Horde. She felt vulnerable and weak in a way she hadn’t in a long time maybe since she thought she lost She-Ra. Though not even She-Ra’s power could protect her from this; she just went from puking to 8 feet tall and puking. So she threw herself into work when she needed care. No one was asking that of her anymore Shadow Weaver was gone so was Light Hope. Catra was right all she needed to do now was take care of herself. That’s what this was all for wasn’t it, not to throw her body into the line of fire for the Horde, Shadow Weaver, Light Hope, or even the rebellion but use it for herself. To build a life with Catra because she wanted to. To be loved and give love the way Mara never got to. Tired but safe Adora drank the glass of water her wife had gotten her in the bed she tucked her into as Melog grounded her with the weight of his head on her leg. Adora dozed off comfortable in a life where she was finally protected. 

“Well, that’s going to take forever!” Shouted Catra slamming the door behind her and instantly regretting both as she realized Adora had been asleep. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” 

“No, it’s okay, come here.” So happy to see her it shocked Catra every time. She complied, scolding herself internally. Adora didn’t mind she repositioned herself more comfortably on Catra’s lap.

“What’s going to take forever?” Asked Adora sleepily. Catra continued her tirade but softly as she played with Adora’s hair. “Bow’s handling your day, easily, by the way, he was really happy to do it. So Sparkles is taking Bitty Sparkles with her which is going to take forever with Scorpia and Perfuma gushing over her!” 

“Well she is very cute.” mumbled Adora, “Glimmer is helping and so is Bow, she had to take her.”

“Ha! No, she didn’t!” Catra scoffed softly. “King Grandpa is right down the hall desperate to babysit. She just wants people to tell her, her baby is cute!” 

“She is cute!” Adora mumbled more forcefully. Catra felt warm and relieved, Adora had gone from stubbornly exhausted to goofy sleepy. 

“Yeah,” Catra replied beaming “She’s gotta soak it up while she can remember how cute we were? Our baby’s gonna blow Bitty Sparkles off the cuteness map!” At that Adora let out some of her dorkiest chuckles, and Catra’s heart felt so full she thought it might burst.

“Yeah, you’re little baby fang stuck out when you were grumpy and you were always grumpy.” Adora reached up her hand to clumsily and insistently poked Catra in the lips until she parted them enough for Adora to touch her grownup fang. “Just like that!” Adora giggled gleefully. “We should have Entrapta make us some a those face goggle thingies in case kittens got your claws, don’t wanna end up like Octavia.” Said Adora sending herself into another reel of sleepy laughter.   
“Hey,” Catra laughed “Octavia had it coming!”   
“Wha’d she even do?” Adora asked, Catra laughed, “Oh shit, Shadow Weaver made her give me a bath… yeah, we’re screwed!” Adora giggled again reaching up her hand to pet Catra in the face awkwardly and a little too forcefully. “Dun worry, She-Ra’ll do it.”   
Catra laughed “You want our kid to hate She-Ra cause that hasn’t gone so well for other members of this family.” Adora snuggled deeper into Catra with a self-satisfied sigh “You never hated She-Ra you thought she was pretty.” Catra purred “Yeah Adora I always think you’re pretty.”   
Adora went from giggling to snoring softly in seconds. Catra carefully wriggled out from under Adora’s head to lay beside her arms around her, one hand on her belly. She relaxed full of pride that could pull Adora from her darkest impulses, the things that lingered from their horrible childhood. Adora laughing and sleeping now when she had been ready to put herself through another miserable day felt almost as good as the first time when Adora chose to open her eyes to stay to love Catra just because she asked.

………..

“Successful mission!”   
Adora and Catra were shocked awake by a hail of pink sparkles, Glimmer’s booming melodic voice, and a burst of baby laughter. Catra instinctively positioned herself over Adora.   
“Fuck Sparkles! You couldn’t do that in the hall?!” Glimmer ignored Catra dropping the box on the bed to free her hands to wave around her daughter’s tiny hands and continued in a sing-song voice. “Angie did a mission. Angie did a mission.” Catra groaned and shoved her head into the pillow but Adora sat up already feeling better with just a few hours of sleep. Adora joined the chorus and reached out eagerly until Glimmer unfastened the baby wrap and handed her over. Adora was instantly occupied with baby talking and tickling. Adora was right, Bitty Sparkles is very cute, chubby, with big dark sparkling eyes and golden-brown skin perfectly offset by curly glittering purple hair. All the best bits of Sparkles and Bow but much less annoying because she couldn’t talk yet. Catra had known they were set for parenthood the second they met her.   
“I can’t believe you want these Adora! You’ve talked about how terrible these are every day since the day I met you!” Adora didn’t even look up from playing with Angie she was lost in baby land.   
“Leave her alone Sparkles! She’s suffering!” Catra retorted for her wife.   
“I know!” Glimmer chirped gesturing towards her own baby.   
“No you don’t!” scoffed Catra “You weren’t sick for a second!”   
Glimmer shrugged sitting down on the end of the bed. “I can’t help it if I’m the daughter of an angelic being and she’s just She-Ra!”   
Adora switched from babbling to carefully repeating “A-dor-a, She-Ra, A-dor-a, She-Ra. Say She-Ra!”   
Glimmer quickly switched her attention from her banter with Catra. “Stop that! If her first word isn’t Dada Bow will never recover. He’s not built for it. The reason Lance and George both go by Dad is that they knew neither of them could handle not being their kid’s first words.”   
“Sorry” Giggled Adora as she switched to saying “Dada”  
“You can’t be serious!” groaned Catra.   
“I know.” Glimmer said laughing “but his oldest 7 siblings were adopted during the war and were old enough when the younger 6 were born to remember. Believe me, I checked with all of them!” Catra laughed pausing a moment to appreciate that there were really parents that loved their kids that much. Maybe she could be one of them.   
Catra reached into the box and grabbed a ration bar to unwrap. “Eww Sparkles! The brown kind?!” Catra yelled, throwing it at Glimmer who teleported across the room.   
“Catra!” shouted Adora in a playful scold.   
“Seriously, I’m pretty sure the brown kind is just the grey kind with sawdust in it. Those were the only files Hordak never let me see!”   
Glimmer laughed and walked over to Adora who pouted as Glimmer picked up her daughter.   
“I can’t believe we would have lost to that if you weren’t in love! Don’t worry the not sawdust ones are in there too. I gotta give her to my dad so I can get to work. Enjoy whatever is in the grey ones.” Glimmer chortled holding up Angie’s little hand to wave at Adora who waved back pouting. 

Alone together Catra handed a grey ration bar to Adora who took a small cautious bite and then relieved started to devour it.   
“Mmm... tastes like stale salty nothing and home.” said Adora through a full mouth.  
Catra smiled sadly “That place wasn’t home, this is.”  
Adora took the time to swallow and meet Catra’s eye before replying. “Anywhere I’m with you is home. Always has been.”Catra’s breath caught in her chest and she bit her lip on the edge of crying. Adora, her eyes gleaming too, broke off a chunk of the ration bar and handed it to Catra who took a bite.  
“Yeah, tastes like home.” Said Catra smiling sadly “Every time I was sick I’d hide under those stairs so no one could see me weak and you always gave me half your rations…”  
Adora smiled warmly at her. “You always did the same for me.”  
Catra felt tears roll down her cheeks, she’d come so far since then she didn’t try to hide them. “It’s so long ago it feels like they’re different people, I wish I could reach back and pull those poor kids out of there.”   
Adora shuffled over to her wife and pulled Catra’s head onto her lap and gently stroked her hair. Catra relaxed into Adora’s touch with trust it had taken her a lifetime to learn.  
“Isn’t that what we’re doing? A little person that’s a little me and a little you, who never has to live through any of that?” Adora let the tears both mournful and grateful roll down her face as she continued. “Real food, no Shadow Weaver to hurt them, someone to take care of them when they’re sick. No lingering martyr complex her wife has to save her from.”  
“Yeah. None of it, just skipping right to the good part.” Purred Catra as she snuggled into Adora’s stomach and wrapped her arms around Adora’s waist in a protective embrace she intended to never let go.


	2. You look out for me, I look out for you

Adora drifted contentedly out of a light sleep. Roused again by the soft flutter and tumbles of the kitten in her belly. She brought her hand to her swelling stomach heart full. The last few months had been a constant barrage of nausea and discomfort it was nice to finally feel the payoff. She listened to the quiet noises of her bedroom, her wife’s soft snores, Melog’s gentle sleep mews, the tinkle of the waterfall, and let herself enjoy the stillness. Relaxing had always been so hard for Adora mixed up in so much guilt and anxiety. Even after the war, it had always been something she struggled with. There was always more to do, someone that needed something. It was a loaded joke in the Best Friend Squad that it was Adora’s responsibility to save the universe from the forces of evil and Bow, Glimmer, and Catra’s responsibility to save Adora from Adora. She had gotten better it had been years since she’d tried to die for anything.   
Pregnancy had been such a relief once she had finally accepted she couldn’t train her way out of physical vulnerability, a reason to relax and still feel productive. Bow had been quick to point out that that was still problematic, Glimmer and Carta, had more pragmatically decided that it was a fair compromise and moved to lock her into accepting a little rest with a royal decree “That everyone must stop bothering Adora with stupid shit.” Glimmer was truly an inspiring leader. Adora smiled to herself as she drifted back into sleep. Maybe she’d even sleep in tomorrow, probably not.   
“Adora!” she was shocked into full consciousness by her wife’s sudden cry. Adora’s eye’s opened to see her wife trembling in the clutches of a nightmare illuminated by Melog’s red mane. “Catra!” Adora called reaching out to her wife and shaking her awake. Catra opened her eyes still unfocused her terror in them cut through Adora like a knife. Adora reflexively grabbed her wife’s wrists and held them to the hard to the bed. The nightmares had faded over the years but if this was a Prime one Adora needed control over her wife’s claws to keep her from scratching the scar on the back of her neck and hurting herself.   
“I’m here, we’re safe. I’m here Catra! You’re okay.” Adora repeated herself voice gentle but firm and sure. Her wife’s eye’s focused and met her’s finally seeing her. Catra’s arms relaxed and Adora released her sliding back down into the bed and pulled her wife into an embrace tucking Catra’s head under her chin. Catra clung to her as she wept into her chest. In one graceful movement, Melog was beside Catra too, head resting on her hip.   
Catra’s shuddering sobs subsided as her breathing steadied and Melog’s mane faded to a soft safe blue. Her grip relaxed and Adora knew it was safe to move again, separating and adjusting just enough to look into her wife’s eyes.   
“Where were you?” Adora asked searching Catra’s face. “Nowhere. It doesn’t matter I’m here now. It’s okay” Her voice was stiff eyebrows drawn. “I’m sorry I woke you up. Just go back to sleep you need rest.”   
Adora could feel Catra’s defenses creeping up. Or were they already up? maybe they had been for weeks.   
“I’m so stupid,” Adora muttered and she was greeted with a slight grin. Adora had been so absorbed in her navigating her own vulnerability she hadn’t noticed Catra taking a page out of her book. She brought her hand to her wife’s cheek. “You can’t hide behind taking care of me, I invented that taking care of you. It’s my thing.” Catra’s eyes narrowed and Adora knew she was right. She made a mental note to gloat later.  
“Really, it’s nothing,” Catra protested she brought her hand up and over Adora’s face forcing her eyes closed. “Go to sleep.” Adora pulled Catra’s hand down and kept it clasped in both of hers.   
“You look out for me, I look out for you. That’s the only way this works. So out with it. What was the nightmare about.”  
Catra looked off to the side not meeting Adora’s gaze. “I’ve been… thinking about her. A lot.”  
“Shadow Weaver,” Adora whispered. She wasn’t surprised. Adora had been thinking about her too. She was so far from a mother but she was the closest thing they had had. Teetering on the precipice of parenthood it was hard not to think of her. How large she had loomed how small and petty she really was. Adora’s memory rolled through so many instances that could be haunting Catra now. Adora wished Shadow Weaver was alive so she could kill her with her own hands.   
Catra nodded wincing. “I…” she paused gulping “in my dreams it’s like I’m me and I’m so small… but I’m also her. So bitter, cruel, manipulative.” The pain was painted across Catra’s face. Adora could see her muster her courage to say the next part. “What if I’m like her, with the baby?”   
“Catra, no. You are nothing like her! You never have been!” Adora insisted, believing her words with the whole of her being.   
Catra met Adora’s eyes and gave her a weak pitying smile. “I’ve done bad things, Adora, been all of those things.”   
“You were hurt Catra and young. You’ve grown so much. Changed, made amends. Things she never even tried to do!” They had been so young. Adora hadn’t felt it at the time now in retrospect they had been hurt children playing war. Taking their insecurities and frustrations onto the battlefield because they hadn’t been raised to cope any other way. But things were different now, they were grown women, who could finally protect each other the way they had always wanted to.  
Tears fell from Catra’s eyes, “I want to believe you, Adora. I really do.”   
“Then do Catra! Because I need you and I want you. I’m scared too!” Catra brought her hand up and stroked Adora’s cheek and brushed away the tears now falling from Adora’s eyes too. “It all seems so easy for Glimmer and Bow.”   
Catra snorted “Yeah they’re freaks. Bow did more to parent me as his adult enemy than Shadow Weaver did our entire childhood.” Adora laughed softly. Bow had always been such a dad he was really flourishing now with a baby to coddle. Glimmer relished it too she’s had Etheria’s easiest pregnancy hadn’t missed a beat ruling all the way through. Though she swore now if she realized she was setting an example for Adora she would have taken it easier. She was already dropping unsubtle hints that getting right back to work wasn’t for everyone.   
“Total freaks,” Adora agreed inching closer to rest her forehead against her wife’s.   
Catra grinned “They had it easy. Raised by parents. All you had was an angry little kitten to raise you. You turned out fine.” Adora chuckled, “Well the overconfident little girl who raised you did pretty well.”   
Catra closed the short distance and met Adora’s lips with hers. Adora kissed back relief flooding her body. For so long there was nothing Adora could do when fear and doubt took hold of Catra. That powerlessness had overwhelmed Adora but now it floated away with an embrace Catra had worked so hard to be able to accept. Adora pulled her wife’s hand over her belly and heald it there where it was greeted with tiny kicks.


End file.
